Maximiliano Huachaca Mamani
Maximiliano Huachaca Mamani is a farmer, artisan, teacher and Quechua human rights defender from the community of Asacasi, Apurímac. As an environmental defender, he works in promoting respect towards the territory of indigenous communities from mining activities.
He was a leader of the Interprovince Federation during the 2015 protests facing the impact of the activities of the Las Bambas mine, demanding respect for the communities and the environment. Due to his leadership and human rights work, he was subjected to persecution and criminalisation, and was unjustly sentenced to eight years and eleven months in prison. The Court also ordered him, along with a group of other criminalised defenders, to pay a civil reparation fine which collectively amounted to 50,000 Peruvian sol for the State and 88,600 U.S. dollars for the Las Bambas mining company.
While many human rights defenders (HRDs) can operate freely in Peru, those working on the environment, in particular on the environmental and human rights impact of the extractive industry, face harsh repression, including intimidation, smear campaigns, death threats, surveillance, and judicial harassment. Journalists and trade unionists have also been targeted.
